Safety device for knitting machines



. r 1,639,522 Aug, 16, 1927. C' MADARlS SAFETY DEVICE FOR-KNITTINGMACHINES Filed NOV. 30 1925 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q /NVENTUH CLINT MADARIS www,

Aug. 16, 1927. 1,639,522

c. MADARls SAFETY DEVICE FOR KNITIING MACHINES Filed NOV. 50. 1926 5Sheets-Sheet 2" i I f S f @1B 1 l IN1/Enron CLINT MADAR IS l Aug 6 1927c. MADARls SAFETY DEVICE FOR KNITTING ACHINES Filed NOV.. 30. 1926 3Sheets-Sheet 3 wmw mmm W a MR Ta .mrr

Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES i 1,639,522 PATENT OFFICE.

GLINT MADABIS, OF CEATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOB TO SCOTT & WELIAMS,INCORPORATED, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOB KNITTING MACHIITES.

Application led November 80, 1928. Seriell Io. 151,748.

` My invention relates to circular knitting machines having cylindersand dials each 'l carrying knitting elements in cooperative remesh thedial andv needle cylinder in proper peripheral relation, whether thaterror is great or small.

`In ythe accompanying drawings, y

1 -'s a front elevation of the upper portion of a circular knittingmachine showing the needle cylinder, the dial and its operatingmechanism and the stop motion tripped; l

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with the stopmotion set:

, Fig. 3 is an elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing theconnections of the new stop motion;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 3 showing the'pin and notch on thedial driving gears; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 taken at rightangles to that figure.

The invention will be shown and described embodied in the well knownScott & Williams typeof seamless hosiery machine, but it should beunderstood that this invention is applicable to any circular knittingmachine having two carriers each with knitting elements therein. l

In the drawings. the rotating needle cylinder 260 is mounted in thebedplate B and Y surrounded by the usual stationary cam ring 271.latchring 550 pivoted on a bracket 401 at the back of the machine insuch manner that it mav be swung upwardly out of operative relation withthe cylinder. This lifting of the dial is necessary to permit access tothe fabric or to the interior of the cylinder orl to the needles. Thedial and cylinder are driven at the same peripheral speed by connectinggearing from the main drive shaft 32, the main bevel gear 31 'drivingthe needle cylinder. The gearin to the dial D comprises a dial'drivebeve gear g on the main drive The dial D is shown mounted in ashaft 32,and a pinion g*s meshing therewith on a vertical shaft 13, the movementof this latter shaft being transmit-ted tothe dial D through thehorizontal drive shaft 14 and the vertical dial spindle d. The dialdrive shaft 13 is mounted in a bearing 12 on' the bcdplate B and thehorizontal drive shaft 14 is mounted in a dial bracket 15 onthelatchring, which bracket also supports the dial spindle d. On the upperend of the vertical shaft 13 is a bevel gear g* adapted todrive a bevelgear g3 on the adjacent end of'the horizont-al shaft 14. The motion ofthis latter shaft is transmitted to the dial spindle d by bevel gearsg1, g2. The gears g1, g2, grs and g* can be protected by a cover 16 ifdesired, which has a spring snap 558 fastening it to the bracket 12 tohold the gears g, g3 in proper operating position. j

It will be observed that the dial is disconnected from the main driveshaft 32 when the latch ring is raised, by the gears g and g* becomingunmeshed. This gives opportunityy for the dial and cylinder to get outof their proper peripheral relation and if the machine were run with thetwo gears g, g*

improperly meshed the knitting elements would strlke together and bebroken. In practice it is found that these gears frequently are notproperly engaged after the' dial has been ra1sed. According to thepresent invention means have been devised for stopping the drivingpulley of the machine promptly if the operator attempts to runthemachine when the gears g3, g* are not properly meshed. The stopmotion proper can be of any well-known type such v'for instance as astop finger 335 pivoted under the table C of the machine adapted to bethrown into engagement with the stop ring 334 of the pulley 47, all asshown and described in the Robert W. Scott Patent Number 1,270,063datedJune 18, 1918. The stop finger is controlled by an actuatin lever336 on top of the table C held under t e tension of a spring 337 againsta notch in the trip finger 338 as usual. This stop motion is trlpped bymeans on the gearing driving the dial, when the dial and cylinder arenot in time. I prefer to associate these means with the gears g, g.These means linclude a notched surface 339 associated with the gear g*and a pin 340 on the. ar g8. adapted to ride on the notched sur ace.v Iprefer to make the notched surface in the form of a horizontal notchedring adjustably fastened to the gear g4, and the pin 340 is heldvertically in a slot in the back face of the gear gs by a strap 343.This pin is normally pressed downwardly against the notched surface 339by a spring 342 acting through a. lever 341 pivotally mounted in a slotextending longitudinally in the hub of the gear g3. When the pin 340rests in the notch in the surface 339 the lever 341 does not protrude ffrom the hub of the gear g8, and the two gears are in `the properangular relation to each other. If the vertical shaft 13 and thehorizontal shaft 14 revolve at the same speedV as the dial spindle itwill be physically impossible for the dial and cylinder to be out oftime, if the pin 340 is in the notch in theK surface 339. If thegearingr is such that the vertical shaft 13 and the horizontal shaft 14each revolve at least twice as fast as the dial and cylinder, then it ispossible for the pin to be in its notch when the dial and cylinder are180 out of time. A'Such a remote possibility can be avoided by lookingat the markings on the dial and cylinder when replacing the dial. Y

The lever 341 in the hub of the gear g3 is adapted to trip the sto-pmotion, acting through a rod r1 mounted on a shaft passing through abracket 12 `on the dial drive shaft bearing 12 and a hinged rod r3connecting to the trip linger 338.

The upper end of the rod r1 is curved in such manner and is sopositioned with relation to the hub of the gear g8 that when the pin 340rests on the fiat part of the surface 339 rather'than entering the notchand is thereby forced upwardly, this curved end of the lever r1 istipped downwardly by the end of the lever 341 away from the pin nomatter in which directionrthe gear g3 is revolving. This tipping of thelever r1 will `cause the trip finger 338, the actuating lever-1336, andthe stop finger 335 to swing in the directions indicated by the arrowsin Fig. 2, thus causing the main drive shaft to be stopped.

This stopping device will be found to be simple, practical and alsoprompt in its action. Variations of the Structure described will readilyoccur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of mynvention.

knit-ting elements, gearing for driving the dial, and a hinged portionadapted to swing the dial into and out of working position with thecylinder and simultaneously to engage and disengage, the gearing drivingthe dial, in combination with a stop motion and means adapted to operatesaid stop motion when the gearing is not correctly engaged.

3. A circular knitting machine havinga needle cylinder and a dial,knitting elements in said cylinder and dial, and connecting meansfordriving said cylinder and dial .in-I

cluding two gears adapted to be meshed and unmeshed, in combination witha sto motion and means associated with sai two gears adapted to operatesaid stop motion when-the gears are not properly meshed.

4. A circular knitting machine havinga revolving needle cylinder and arevolving dial, knitting elements in said cylinder and dial, and meansfor driving said cylinder and dial synchronously, in combination with astop motion and a. notched surface and pin means revolving with themeans driving the dial adapted to operate said stop motion when said pindoes not mesh properly with said notched surface.

5. A .circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder and arevolving dial, knitting elements in said cylinder and dial, a pivot'edlatch ring carrying said dial, y

and connecting gearing for driving said cylinder and dial including twogears adapted to be meshed and unmeshed when said latch ring is loweredand raised, and a stop motion, in combination with a notched ringrevolving with one of said two gears, and a pin and lever revolving withthe other of said gears, adapted, when said gears are not meshedproperly, to trip said stop motion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CLINT MADARIS.

